Amtrak Service Restored Between New York and Boston After Power Outage

Amtrak service from New York to Boston is up and running Sunday after Saturday's service was cancelled due to mechanical issues. The national passenger-rail service said that an 'ongoing electrical power issue' was to blame. Amtrak said it apologizes for any inconvenience. Amtrak service has been restored between New York and Boston after it was suspended for much of Saturday due to a power outage, the rail service announced.

In a statement Saturday afternoon, Amtrak said the service disruption was due to a malfunctioning circuit breaker that was causing a power outage on all tracks between Penn Station in New York and Union Station in New Haven, Connecticut. In a follow-up statement at 9:50 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday, the rail service said that service had been 'fully restored' between Boston and New York. The company said that it believed a lightning strike was responsible for the outage. Evening trains between Boston and Virginia were operating on schedule Saturday.

Most trains were expected to be on schedule Sunday, although some Sunday train services were cancelled and others were expected to operate on a modified schedule, Amtrak said. 'Amtrak is communicating directly with customers impacted by these adjustments and offering options for rebooking their travel plans,' the rail service said. 'Amtrak apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the disruption.' Customers with reservations on affected trains will typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or on another day, Amtrak said. It will also waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservations. It's been a rough start to the summer for Amtrak along its Northeast Corridor.

The rail service accepted responsibility for numerous service delays and suspensions that plagued commuters using Amtrak and NJ Transit trains in June. Some of those issues were blamed on overhead wire and power problems, as well as disabled trains. Back in May, a power outage brought Amtrak and NJ Transit trains to a halt for hours during the evening rush hour commute. Amtrak and NJ Transit have vowed to work together to fix problems, with a focus on Amtrak infrastructure. 'We understand the impact the recent events had on both Amtrak and NJ Transit customers and their families, and we share their frustration,' Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said in a statement last month.

'It's vital we work with NJ Transit to identify the root cause of these disruptions and return to on-time service and the quality experience customers expect.' Amtrak services were cancelled between New York and New Haven Saturday afternoon due to an electrical issue. The train service is communicating directly with impacted customers about the delay. Options for rebooking travel plans will be offered. 'Amtrak apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the disruption. Our crews are working hard to correct the issues,' said Amtrak in a statement.